Trolling ballast



A. L. FITZSIMMONS 2,749,649

TROLLING BALLAST Filed Dec. so, 1952 June 12, 1956 'YINVEIYTOR. ArchzeLFzfzslmmons,

United States Patent ice TROLLING BALLAST Archie L. Fitzsimmons, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii Application December 30, 1952, Serial No. 328,602

1 Claim. (Cl. 43-431) This invention relates to a trolling ballast, and more particularly, has reference to a ballast of the sinker type, which is adapted to be associated with a trolling line in such a manner as to sink said line to a predetermined depth, while still allowing the release of the line when a fish is hooked.

One important object of the present invention is to provide a trolling ballast of the type stated which can be releasably engaged with a trolling line at any desired point along the length of the line, depending upon the depth at which the trolling operations are to be conducted and the amount of line that is to extend between the ballast and the hook or trolling lure.

Still another object is to provide a trolling ballast of the type stated which will have means associated therewith for varying the amount of tension with which said ballast engages the fishing line.

Yet another object is to provide a trolling ballast of the character referred to which can be disposed at any desired depth, for the purpose of permitting the trolling operations to be conducted at any point from a point near the surface of the water to a location near the bottom.

Still another object is to provide a trolling ballast of the type stated which, when a fish is hooked, will immediately release the trolling line and will not thereafter interfere with playing of the fish.

Still another object is to provide a trolling ballast of the type stated which will be releasable from an associated trolling line not only by the pull of a fish, but also by a pull of a fishing line acting against the weight of the ballast.

A further object is to provide a trolling ballast of the character referred to which will be simple in construction, and capable of manufacture at relatively low cost.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claim appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a trolling ballast formed in accordance with the present invention as it appears when in use;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference numeral designates a solidly formed, tear-drop shaped weight which, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, is formed with a pointed, bulbous front end portion merging into a tapered rear end portion. This particular formation of the weight adapts the same for smooth, controlled movement through the water W during use of the device, and keeps the front and rear ends of the weight aligned coaxially of the weight, and with the line of movement of the weight through the water Patented June 12, 1956 during movement of a boat from which the ballast is suspended.

Formed in the top surface of the weight 10, intermediate the opposite ends of the weight but closer to the front end than to the rear end thereof, is a downwardly extending, threaded recess 12, said recess extending transversely of the weight and opening upon the top surface thereof. A screw 14 is threaded in the recess 12 to any selected extent, and has an outer end portion that projects above the top surface of the weight, said outer end portion being apertured as at 16 for connection of the weight to a support line 18 having, at equally spaced locations along its length, small knots 20 that are used as a depth control means during the use of the device.

In the rear end portion of the weight 10 is a wide slot 24 and extending into said slot is the forward end of a fiat support plate 26. The support plate 26 is fixedly retained in the slot 24 by means of a fastening element 28. The fastening element 28, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, comprises a threaded socket member in which a screw is engaged, said socket member and screw having heads disposed at opposite ends of the fastening element. It will be understood that other fastening means can be employed, if desired, to hold the support plate 26 within the weight 10, and the support plate can, in some embodiments of the invention, be embedded in the weight 10 while said weight is being cast.

The support plate 26 has, intermediate its ends, transversely spaced, upstanding ears 30 (Figure 2), and disposed in contact with the inner sides of the ears 30, are depending ears 32, with a pivot pin 34 extending through registering apertures formed in the ears 30, and 32. The ears 32 are integral or otherwise made rigid with the underside of a gripping plate designated generally 36. The plate 36 is formed from a single piece of fiat sheet metal material, and a forward main end portion 38 merges, as shown in Figure 3, into a declining rear end portion 40 disposed at a pronounced obtuse angle relative to the portion 38. The rear end portion 40 terminates at its rear end in a short lip 42 that extends in substantial parallelism with the main end portion 38.

Formed in the main end portion 38 is a threaded opening 44 receiving an adjusting screw 46. The screw 46 extends into contact with the plate 26,- and is provided with a stop nut 48 threadable against the main portion 38, for retaining the adjusting screw in selected positions of adjustment. A spring 50 is circumposed about the shank of the screw, and abuts at its opposite ends against the plate 26 and main portion 38 respectively, said spring normally urging the main portion 38 in a direction away from the support plate 26.

A fishing line has been designated by the reference numeral 52, said line extending from a rod 54 and being provided with a hook or lure 56. Intermediate its ends, the line 52 is engaged between the end portion of the angular extension 40 forming a lip 42 and the support plate 26. Since the spring 50 urges the main portion 38 away from the plate 26, the lip 42 will be held in contact with the outer end of the support plate 26, thus to hold the line 52 between the angularly related plate 26 and this lip.

In use of the device, the ballast will be lowered to a selected depth with the gripping device connected to a selected portion of the line 52. Thereafter, movement of the boat 22 from which the trolling operations are to be conducted will be effective to cause the lure or hook element 56 to be disposed at a selected distance above the bottom B.

When a fish takes the hook, it will exert pull upon the line 52, and this will cause the line 52 to be pulled outwardly, spreading the lip 42 and plate 26, thus permitting the line 52 to be completely disengaged from the gripping device. The fish can then be played in the regular manner.

It is important to note that the construction illustrated is one that permits a selected amount of tension to be exerted by the contacting lip 42 and plate 26, resisting release of the line 52 to any extent desired. In other words, the screw 46 is threadable to selected locations within its associated opening 44, and it will be understood that when the screw 46 is threaded inwardly in the direction of the support plate 26, it will place the lip 42 under tension when the lip is urged away from the support plate 26. This, in turn, will cause the line 52 to be disengaged with less ease than would ordinarily be the case.

The spring 50 will be used for the purpose of holding the lip 42 in engagement with the support plate 26.

Thus, the tension can be lightened to such an extent as to permit the pull of the line itself to be effective to disengage the line from the ballast. This may be desirable in certain types of trolling operations, in which it may be desired to first sink the line to a selected depth, and then cause the line to be released, so as to move slowly toward the surface during continued movement of the boat 22.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a trolling ballast, an elongated weight having forward and rearward ends, means on the weight intermediate its ends for connection of the weight to a support line, and a releasable trolling line gripping means on and projecting from the rearward end of the weight, said gripping means comprising a support plate having a forward end and a rearward end, the forward end of the support plate being fixed to the rearward end of the weight with the plate extending longitudinally from the weight, a gripping plate extending along one side of the support plate and pivoted intermediate its ends to the support plate, said gripping plate having forward and rearward end portions at opposite sides of the pivotal axis of the gripping plate, a lip on the rearward end portion of the gripping plate for gripping a trolling line between said lip and the rearward end of the support plate, and spring means acting between the forward end of the support plate and the forward end portion of the gripping plate and yieldably urging the rearward end portion of the gripping plate toward the rear end of the support plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 891,037 Caldwell June 16, 1908 1,085,368 Treacy Jan. 27, 1914 1,974,381 Swanson Sept. 18, 1934 2,097,986 McEwen Nov. 2, 1937 2,119,483 Korndorfer et al. May 31, 1938 2,121,279 Beck June 21, 1938 2,326,876 Miller Aug. 17, 1943 2,452,796 Skibsted Nov. 2, 1948 2,552,730 Miller May 15, 1951 2,557,516 Schipper June 19, 1951 2,608,017 Hinkson Aug. 26, 1952 2,631,805 Jackson Mar. 17, 1953 all ALLA; 

